


Bread and Flowers

by marshmellow_sirel



Category: LazyTown
Genre: M/M, Robbie in a dress, Sportacus has a crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 13:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13147971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marshmellow_sirel/pseuds/marshmellow_sirel
Summary: Sportacus was being a good, helpful, hero when he saw Robbie Rotten in a dress and everything changed





	Bread and Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the Itholiday gift exchange on tumblr

Sportacus jogged through town on early morning patrol and to say hello to the shop owners who opened early. He liked to stop by the bakery to help Maggi, the owner, lift the bags of flour and have a conversation about football.

Maggi fidgeted and readjusted the strap of the back brace he wore while he supervised Sportacus carrying four bags of flour on his shoulders from the storage area to the bakery. “I appreciate this, Sportacus, but soon I will be able to do the lifting myself. However, I would still appreciate the occasional visit.”

“It’s no trouble, really, and I would appreciate that you didn’t try and rush your healing. Does Dr. Karlsson know that you’re back in the bakery?” He stacked the bags against the wall and dusted his shoulders. He laughed when he saw Maggi avoid his gaze. “Your healing will take longer if you strain yourself, Maggi. Trust me on this.”

“Fine, fine, fine.” Maggi waved his hand, “You don’t need to coddle me like my wife.” A boy, tall and thin, walked into the bakery and adjusted his knit cap. “You’re late, Jives. I had to ask Sportacus to do your job for you. You think I should pay him? I think I should just give him your salary.”

Jives paled, “I’m sorry Mr. Anorsson. Please don’t fire me. It won’t happen again.”

“I’m sure he will do better in the future, Maggi,” said Sportacus. “Give him a chance to prove himself.”

Maggi grumbled, “I suppose I have no choice.” He turned to Sportacus, “You do deserve something in return for your hard work. Could I offer you a cut of Jives’s paycheck since he wasn’t here to claim it?” The statement made Jives’s mouth fall open.

“No, just having a small chat is payment enough,” said Sportacus with a chuckle. He saw Jives breathe a sigh of relief. “Just remember to not strain yourself and I will see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Hm,” Maggi grumbled again. “The offer for money will stay open.” He gave a sidelong glance at Jives who stared at the finished stacks of flour. “Just let me know.”

“It’s no problem. I must get back to my patrol, I will see you tomorrow.” Sportacus took off and ran from the bakery down the street. He passed several shop windows like the antique store run my Mrs. Holladottir and the boutique run by Mr. Olafsson. He turned the corner glanced inside the Laundromat and skidded to a stop.

A lady in a yellow sundress with pink flowers knelt down to pull clothing from a dryer and Sportacus couldn’t help but stare. He told himself that it was unbecoming for a hero to stare at someone like that but he couldn’t help but notice that the sundress hugged all her curves. She adjusted her hat and Sportacus wondered if it was inappropriate to ask if she was new in town when she sensed someone watching her. She turned around and everything changed.

Robbie Rotten wore a yellow sundress and a pink sunhat stared at Sportacus through the window. “What?” He yelled assuming that Sportacus would understand through the glass.

Sportacus, instead of answering, took off in a run towards the center of town.

Robbie shrugged and went back to folding the disguises to fit in the basket. The buzzer went off a dryer over and he went to check on his suits to make sure they came out all right. He would investigate whatever that was later. Right now was laundry day and it was a tedious day once a month. Usually, it happened once a month. He procrastinated this month and so it was a tedious day three months in the making.

“Are you okay, Sportacus?” Stephanie asked when she saw a red-faced Sportacus run past the garden where she checked in on the sportscandys before she started on the rest of her chores. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m okay,” Sportacus said as he bent over to catch his breath and thoroughly proved to Stephanie that he wasn’t okay.

Stephanie nodded, “Okay. Sure.” She surveyed the vegetable boxes but all she could see were small sprouts and the sticks of Ziggy’s lollipops. “Do you want me to get you an apple? That might help.”

“No, no,” said Sportacus. “I’m fine. Really.” Red still colored his cheeks and he hoped Stephanie would assume that was exertion. “I don’t want to make you spend any time on me when you have chores to focus on.”

“You sure?”

Sportacus still couldn’t quite catch his breath and he just gave her the thumbs up instead. It did little to assuage her concerns. “I’m okay.”

“Okay.” She pulled the hose from her vegetable box and placed it the corner of Pixel’s box. “Just let me know if you need anything.” She worked pulled weeds slowly as she watched Sportacus out of the corner of her eye.

He wanted to tell her that nothing was wrong and everything was fine but the truth decided to follow him from the Laundromat.

“Hey,” said Robbie walking up with his hands in his pockets. “What was that about Sportaloser?”

Stephanie looked up, “Why are you wearing a dress, Robbie?”

“Why can’t I, pink girl?” Robbie said with a roll of his eyes. “You’re not the only one who can wear pink in this town, you know.” He twirled to show off the pink flowers on his skirt. “I think the correct thing to say was, ‘I think you look nice today, Robbie.’”

Stephanie seemed to ponder it for a moment and giggled, “I didn’t mean it like that Robbie but I do think you look nice today. Did you sew the dress yourself?”

“You bet I look good but I always do, don’t I?” He smirked and held out the skirt for Stephanie to see. “I did, indeed sew this myself which is why it has pockets. If you weren’t so rude I might offer to make you a dress with pockets but it seems you’re a rude gremlin of a child.”

“Robbie!” Stephanie shouted with a laugh. “I am not rude. You’re the rude one.”

“I would have to disagree, little pink gremlin child.” Robbie nodded sagely and put his hands back into his pockets. “However, I’ll rethink this fact if you bring me a tart from the bakery later. Get one without, ugh, sportscandy on top.”

Stephanie put the hose up. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.” She made a little check mark on the clipboard that hung on the side of Pixel’s box. “I’ll see you later Sportacus. I hope you feel better.”

Sportacus nodded. They waved off Stephanie as she ran back to the mayor’s house to finish up her chores and left Sportacus and Robbie alone. Sportacus wanted to run off, too, but it was too late. “Do you need help with your clothes, Robbie? I hope you didn’t leave them at the Laundromat.”

“No one would run off with them anyway so shove that fake concern of your’s.” He pulled a small cube out of his skirt pocket. “Besides, they’re right here in my Extra Space Vortex Cube 3000.” He tucked the cube back into his pocket. “Work smarter not harder, Sportadork.” He eyed Sportacus who stared at the ground and seemed to be inching his way backward. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Seems,” said Robbie taking a step forward, “Like something is bothering you.”

Sportacus blushed and avoided Robbie’s gaze. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He rocked back on his heels. “I think…” the words hung in the air “…that it was very nice of you to offer to sew a dress for Stephanie.”

“I’m willing to work for tarts. That baker makes a mean tart and I, for one, am willing to extort a few of them from a child.”

“Please don’t do that Robbie.”

Robbie twirled his skirt, “Why not?”

The swaying of Robbie’s hips distracted Sportacus from what he was planned to say—something about bribery and using a child for nefarious purposes probably—and instead said, “He owes me.” He cleared his throat. “I, uh,” he cleared his throat again, “I help Maggi in the mornings since his back surgery. He wants to pay me for my services but I always turn him down. He insists so I think I could be able to get you some tarts.”

Robbie stopped his swaying and stared at Sportacus. “You would do that? You would give me a sugary, unhealthy treat, one that could potentially kill you? You would use the generosity of an old man to get me a free tart. You, of all people, would do that?”

“I just get faint from sugar, Robbie, it’s not life threatening,” Sportacus said quietly. “And I’m not taking advantage of him. He appreciates my help and wants to compensate me for my time.” He rocked back on his heels. “What’s your favorite flavor? I want to ask in advance so I don’t inconvenience him, you understand.”

Robbie took a step towards Sportacus, “What’s my favorite flavor, you ask? What do you want in return?”

“Nothing,” Sportacus said a little too fast. “I’m doing it because we’re friends.”

A slight breeze came and ruffled the edge of Robbie’s skirt and Sportacus turned redder than a tomato.

“Frankly,” said Robbie and held onto his sunhat with one hand, “This isn’t how I expected this confrontation to go.” The breeze caught up and he held down his skirt with his other hand. Sportacus blushed harder at the sight of Robbie’s skirt rustling around his hand. “I caught you staring at the Laundromat and, well, that was pretty dickish.”

Sportacus’s eyes grew round and all the unflattering color in his face drained away to an even more unflattering grey. “I-I-I’m sorry, Robbie. I didn’t mean to upset you. What I did was really unhero-like please let me—”

Robbie shook his head. “I came here to tell you to get out of my town. Trust me I can. I’ve just been playing soft the last few months. But before I can you’re blushing, stuttering, and offering to buy me tarts? I don’t know what to make of this.”

After the last half-hour, Sportacus would need to an apple, several glasses of water, and possibly a nap after this rollercoaster of emotion. A sliver of his mind wanted Robbie to assume the worst, and to tell him the worst, just so everything could stay the same: hero and villain. That’s how’s it’s supposed to be, right?

“I, uh, I was staring. Yes.” Sportacus said Lamely. “I thought you looked—” heroes always tell the truth because heroes don’t lie “—Ah. I saw you kneeling down to empty the dryer and I, uh…yeah.”

“Yeah?” Robbie pushed.

“A…” Sportacus felt his face burn all the way to his covered ears “…ttractive.” He stared intently at a sunflower growing near the oak tree that swayed in the breeze by Ziggy’s candy filled vegetable box. “I thought you looked pretty in your dress and I did something that was both very ungentlemanly and unhero like. I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable.” He bounced on the balls of his feet. “Sorry,” he said again.

“Oh, um,” said Robbie. A light blush colored his cheeks. “I don’t know what to say, Sportacus. I guess you can stay in town for a little while longer.”

Sportacus thought that Robbie’s blush was charming not like what he, himself, must look right now. He felt his heart leap in his chest and like he ate sugary candy all in one fell swoop. Robbie never called him by his actual name, he always made up some nickname, but hearing Robbie call him Sportacus made his day. “You don’t want me to leave town? That’s great!”

“Hm,” said Robbie. “You said you wanted to tell the baker your order in advance because you’re nice and all that? Well, how about Saturday at five? Bring a few tarts, I don’t care what kind just sweet and no sportscandy, and see if he’ll make you something sugar-free.”

Sportacus didn’t know if he could blush any harder but he was certainly trying at any rate, “Like a, uh, a…date?”

The light breeze came up again and Robbie looked stunning. It was a simple dress, yes, but it hugged his curves and matched his sunhat while the light blush on his cheeks made him look like a photo from a famous photographer. A work of art to hang on gallery walls while Sportacus looked like he could be plucked from the vine any moment.

“We can call it that, yes,” said Robbie. “We can meet in front of my billboard and have a picnic. Does that sound okay?”

It did. It really did. “Okay,” Sportacus barely wheezed out.

“Good. Go talk to the baker. If you said he owes you then it should taste like you saved his livelihood.” Robbie laughed. He spun on his heel, only then did Sportacus notice that he wore a pair of flats decorated like Spats.

Alone in the vegetable garden Sportacus sunk down to the ground and sat with his back against Stingy’s vegetable box (he didn’t see the name picket he just saw the sign on all sides that said MINE) and tried to regulate his breathing. He realized that maybe he had never been on a date before and he felt his heart fall to his feet. He rubbed his face and thought that, maybe, he did need that apple and some water because that was the longest half-an-hour of his life.

“Sportacus!” Ziggy shouted and came pedaling on his bike. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Ziggy, don’t worry about me,” said Sportacus with a chuckle. “How are you? Its early so I hope you had your breakfast today.”

Ziggy nodded enthusiastically. “I sure did. I’m on my way to my grandfather’s bakery.” He dug around in his basket and pulled a shiny green apple, “Will this make you feel better?”

He wanted to reiterate that, again, he was fine but Sportacus unconsciously reached out for the apple. “Thank you, Ziggy, that’s very kind. Maggi’s your grandfather? I didn’t know that?”

Ziggy nodded even more enthusiastically with familial pride. “Yup. He’s the best baker in Lazytown and my grandma is the best candy maker! My mamma wants me to bike over there and make sure grandpa is doing okay after his surgery and bring some jam.”

 “You know, I help your grandfather every morning so he can heal faster.”

Ziggy’s eyes were wide, “You help my grandfather?”

“Because heroes help people,” said Sportacus. He finished the apple and stood up and dusted off his pants. “I need to go to the bakery to ask your grandfather for a favor so do you mind if I walk with you?”

“Yeah, yeah, wow.” Ziggy pedaled beside Sportacus’s long strides out of the vegetable garden towards the town center. “Do you work in the bakery? Do you make bread?” His voice suddenly became quiet, “Can you bake the sweets?”

Sportacus chuckled, “No, I just carried the heavy things and organize them because Maggi’s back and Jives tends to oversleep.”

“Oh,” said Ziggy and his pedaling slowed down.

“It takes a lot of work to run a bakery but once I did make the peasant bread. Which I’m sure would be perfect with your mother’s homemade jam. I can’t believe how culinary skilled your entire family is, Ziggy, wow.”

They walked towards the bakery and passed Robbie in front of the flower shop with a bag of candy slung on his arm. He eyed a floral decoration made up of baby blue flowers and fumbled with a candy wrapper. He turned when he heard Sportacus and winked before he disappeared into the shop.

“Wow,” said Ziggy. “Was that Robbie? He looks really pretty today.”

Weakly, Sportacus said, “Yeah.” He saw Robbie inside the store talk the girl at the counter. Was he buying flowers for him? No one bought him flowers before. He felt his cheeks burn again at the thought.

“Do you think that Robbie would want something from the bakery?”

“I think that would be nice,” said Sportacus with a hair more strength in his voice. “You know he likes sweets but nothing too big. You don’t want to spend all of the money in your piggy bank, after all.”

“Good idea. Mamma says that too many sweets can ruin your appetite and I wouldn’t want him to not have room in his stomach for lunch.” They arrived in the front of the bakery a moment later. Ziggy hopped off his bike with his bundle from the basket in hand and let the bike fall to the ground to run into the bakery to meet his grandfather.

Sportacus set the bike upright, kicked out the kickstand, and placed it against the wall before he walked inside as well. “Hello Jives,” he said to the poor boy running the counter. “I need to place an order please. If you don’t mind.” If Robbie was getting him flowers then it was only fair that he get at least one of every flavor of tart.


End file.
